30 agosto 2007

"First, biological weapons. We have talked frequently here about biological weapons. By way of introduction and history, I think there are just three quick points I need to make. [...] Iraq declared 8,500 liters of anthrax, but UNSCOM estimates that Saddam Hussein could have produced 25,000 liters. If concentrated into this dry form, this amount would be enough to fill tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of teaspoons. And Saddam Hussein has not verifiably accounted for even one teaspoon-full of this deadly material. And that is my third point. And it is key. The Iraqis have never accounted for all of the biological weapons they admitted they had and we know they had. They have never accounted for all the organic material used to make them. And they have not accounted for many of the weapons filled with these agents such as there are 400 bombs. This is evidence, not conjecture. This is true. This is all well-documented. [...]"

"Several vials of potentially dangerous chemicals have been found at a United Nations building in New York. The material, said to include phosgene, is said to have been removed from Iraq during inspections of chemical facilities a decade ago.The UN said the vials had been found by inspectors as they cleared out an office near the UN's headquarters. The material "could be potentially hazardous", a UN spokeswoman said, but did not pose any immediate risk. UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the substances had been secured by experts at the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (Unmovic). The office area had been screened, she said, and no toxic vapours were found. The metal and glass vials, stored in a sealed plastic bag, were discovered in the process of emptying Unmovic's office building in Manhattan."The only information we have of the contents of that bag is from an inventory of a 1996 inspection which indicates that one of the items may contain phosgene, an old generation chemical warfare agent," Ms Okabe said. [...]"